q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

MORE →
BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Handmade "For Liberty Engineers" sweetheart gift from World War I

Date
1917-1918
Created by
Unidentified
Description
Sweetheart gift from World War I. A hand-made adornment that consists of a blue fabric exterior and American flag interior. When folded in half, the gift has a clear front. A white patch has been sewn in the center of the blue fabric and embroidered with the text, [For Liberty] and the flags of Italy, Japan, United States, France, and Great Britain. Underneath embroidered in yellow script is the word [Engineers]. Both horizontal sides have a blue fabric bow and a piece of blue fabric at the bottom is used to tie it closed.
Topic
African American
Design
Families
Military
Social life and customs
World War I
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alan Laird
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.111.22
Type
needlework (visual works)
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
thread and ribbon on fabric
Dimensions
H x W (closed with ribbon): 11 1/4 × 11 1/8 × 3/4 in. (28.6 × 28.3 × 1.9 cm)
H x W x D (open with ribbon): 11 1/8 × 23 × 7/16 in. (28.3 × 58.4 × 1.2 cm)
Title
Object Name • Handmade "For Liberty Engineers" sweetheart gift from World War I
Record ID
nmaahc_2017.111.22
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
HANDMADE "FOR LIBERTY ENGINEERS" SWEETHEART GIFT FROM WORLD WAR I
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1910s • 1914-1918
Topic
Design • WW I • World War, 1914-1918 • Family • Society • Military
Culture
African Americans
Type
needlework (visual works)
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Handmade "For Liberty Engineers" sweetheart gift from World War I

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

"Proposal for Republishing by Subscription, Poems by Phillis Wheatley..." in Massachusetts Spy: Or, The Worcester Gazette Vol. XX No. 956

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
NMAAHC

Deed of sale including 237 enslaved persons in transaction

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Wedgwood dish commemorating the abolition of slavery

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker